Real estate marketing
How vendors choose
an agent.
Vendors mostly choose an agent they've seen sell nearby or been referred to, then compare two or three at an appraisal. In an older Roy Morgan survey, 58% chose their agent after seeing them sell a local property, and 36% were influenced by a friend's recommendation. So the marketing that wins listings is making your local sales, reviews and way of working easy to find before the appraisal, then answering fast.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.What the surveys
say.
There isn't much recent Australian data on how sellers choose an agent. The two surveys that come up are old, so read them as direction, not current fact.
A 2015 Roy Morgan survey of 300 vendors for CoreLogic found 58% chose their agent after seeing them sell a local property, 36% were influenced by a friend's recommendation, and only 3% by social media.
A 2018 survey of 1,058 sellers, commissioned by a comparison site, found 30% reappointed an agent they'd used before, 27% went on referrals and 23% searched online. More than half called selling one of life's most stressful experiences.
Vendors pick from who they've seen sell.
Would a vendor
shortlist you?
Tick what a seller could find about you today, before they've spoken to you.
Shortlist check
Would a vendor
shortlist you?
Tick what a seller could find about you today, before they've spoken to you.
You show
0 / 6
Fix first
The appraisal
decides it.
Most vendors meet more than one agent. They compare the estimate, the marketing plan and the fee, and they judge how the agent explains things.
The temptation is to quote high to win the listing. The new price rules make that riskier: in NSW, from 17 November 2026, the advertised price can't be below the estimate, and Victoria has similar rules. An honest estimate, explained with comparable sales, is easier to defend and easier to trust.
Speed and
follow-up.
A seller who requests an appraisal online often asks more than one agent. Answer within the hour where you can, and confirm the appointment in writing.
Many sellers aren't ready yet. Keep in touch with useful information, like recent local sales, without overdoing it. If you text or email, the Spam Act applies: consent, your details and an unsubscribe.
Reviews
from sellers.
Reviews matter most when they're recent and specific about communication and result. Ask every seller at settlement.
The ACCC's rules apply: no fake reviews, no hiding negative ones, and incentives must be offered whatever the review says and be disclosed.
Show the
plan.
Vendors compare agents on the price, the plan and the fee. Most agency sites show only the first: listings and sold prices.
A sample campaign, showing photos, portal listings, social, open homes and how often the vendor gets a report, answers the question before it's asked, and makes the comparison about more than commission.
Be clear about who pays for marketing and what it includes. Surprises at signing are where trust is lost.
What I see most often
What I'd check first
on an agent's site.
- 1
Recent sales hard to find
Sold properties buried in a portal profile instead of on the agent's own pages.
- 2
Appraisal forms that go nowhere fast
A request that sits in a shared inbox overnight.
- 3
No plan to show
Nothing that shows what a campaign includes, so vendors compare on fee alone.
The honest bit. Good marketing gets you into more appraisals. Winning them still comes down to the conversation, the estimate and the plan.
Questions
people ask.
How do sellers choose a real estate agent?
Mostly from agents they've seen sell nearby or been referred to, then by comparing two or three at an appraisal. An older survey found 58% chose an agent after seeing them sell a local property.
How many agents should a seller interview?
Commonly two or three. Agents should expect to be compared, and make the comparison easy.
Do online reviews matter for real estate agents?
Yes, especially recent ones about communication. They must be genuine: the ACCC's rules on reviews apply.
Can an agent quote high to win the listing?
It's risky. In NSW from 17 November 2026, the advertised price can't be below the estimate, so an inflated appraisal now shows up in the ad.
Related
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going.
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